


Time and Trying New Things

by CatrinaSL



Series: Boulder, Parchment, Shears [9]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: A lake, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Crossing - Freeform, Animal Crossing References, Baffled By Technology Caduceus, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, Pre-Relationship, Teahaw, Three Things, Vacation, sangria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: The group takes a relaxing vacation together, so it's a perfect time to try new things.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Series: Boulder, Parchment, Shears [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/971727
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	Time and Trying New Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thesarahsound](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesarahsound/gifts).



> thesarahsound prompted Animal Crossing, Sangria, A lake
> 
> Happy birthday to the SJ in my heart ♥

The cabin itself belonged to Jester's parents. Yasha brought what was first thought to be entirely too much popcorn until Caleb, Yeza, Veth, and Luc ate half of it the first night. The Brenattos pitched in, but Caduceus brought all the actual food. Caleb brought all sorts of books on the flora and fauna of the area, and Fjord brought non-outdoor entertainment (his new Nintendo Switch, mostly to show Yeza how fun and family friendly they could be). Beau, of course, brought the alcohol. 

On the morning of their last day of vacation, Caduceus stood looking out the kitchen window at the edge of the lake where Yasha and Beau were making another attempt to teach Jester how to skip rocks. On the other side of the water, he could see the fiery red hair of one human crouching among halflings, likely identifying a bug or plant for them. Fjord was... 

Caduceus looked around. Where was Fjord? He hoped the other man wasn't checking work emails. He was very excited about the job that Caduceus had helped him get at Melora Inc., but they were all supposed to be relaxing. 

"Fjord?" he called, walking back through the kitchen and into the living room. 

"Out here!" The half orc waved from the screened in porch, and Caduceus stepped out to join him. 

"What have you got?" he asked, nodding at the drink in Fjord's hand. 

"Sangria that Beau made last night," Fjord replied, taking his feet from where they had been propped on the table and sitting up to offer the glass to Caduceus. 

The firbolg's first instinct was to refuse the drink, and he waved a hand to decline. 

"Just try a sip," encouraged Fjord. "It's, like, wine infused with fruit. You like things infused with fruit." 

"I do," Caduceus allowed, and took the glass to inspect the red liquid inside. He did finally take a small sip. Wine never tasted pleasant, but the fruit did improve it a little. He made a face even as he thanked Fjord and handed it back. 

Fjord laughed. "Well, you tried it... that's the first step." He paused and glanced around as though looking for eavesdroppers and then continued, "I have something for you." 

"For me?" Caduceus asked, taking a seat across from him on the porch swing. 

"Yeah. Something else for you to try," Fjord said, and before Caduceus could ask or begin to feel apprehensive, Fjord produced the item from behind the cushion of the chair he was sitting in. 

"Your Switch," Caduceus said. "You want me to try your video game?" 

"No and yes," Fjord replied. "It's my Switch Lite, see? It's green and the controllers don't come off?" 

"That's different from the thing you hook up to the TV?" the firbolg asked as he took the electronic thing from Fjord. "Then what do you have there?" He pointed at the video game contraption the half orc had been playing with. 

"This is the one I just bought," Fjord explained patiently. "I can use it on the TV or on the porch." 

Caduceus smiled. "Really? That's pretty slick!" 

"It is," Fjord agreed. 

"You can't do that with this one?" 

"No, but we can both play out here on the porch together." 

"Well, that's nice," Caduceus said. 

"Yeah," Fjord said with a smile. "I thought I might show you that game that Jester likes. If you want to try it." 

Cad hesitated, a little awkward and unsure of what to do with the doohickey in his hands. "Jester likes it?" he repeated. 

Fjord looked a little sheepish, and gave another glance around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "Well...  _ I _ like it too, but don't tell her or it's all she'll want to talk to me about." 

A recommendation from Jester might be taken with a grain of salt, but if Fjord liked it... "All right. How do I...?" He turned the thing over in his hands, hoping there was an obvious way to make it go. 

Thankfully, Fjord said, "Hang on," and moved over to sit next to him, showing him where the little switch was ("A switch on a Switch, that's cute," Caduceus pointed out,) and starting up the game for him. Then he picked up the machine he had been playing on before and held it out. 

"See, here's my island, my villagers, my house..." 

"It's pretty adorable," Cad admitted, as Fjord helped him through the beginning of the game. “The little people and animals and everything.”

Fjord nodded. "Just wait until you get to set up your garden."

"I can garden in this?!" Caduceus gasped, and the delight on his face made Fjord smile, even though it was clear that he'd expected it.

After the game had gotten underway, Fjord left him to it, getting up to head inside. He returned just as Caduceus gasped and looked up excitedly. "I caught a fish!"

"Nice," Fjord said with a proud smile. "I got you some Caduceus-style sangria. Tea with some of the fruit Beau used to make the other stuff. Wineless sangria. Sang-tea-uh."

Caduceus laughed. "Thank you," he said, and paused to lean forward and take the tea from Fjord as the half orc returned to sit next to him on the porch swing. 

A laugh from one of the women echoed up from the water. "Sounds like they're having fun," he commented. 

"Well, so are we," Caduceus agreed, offering his cup out to toast with Fjord's glass.

Fjord chuckled and clinked the glasses together, and they both drank. Before Cad could get back to his fishing, Fjord nudged him. "Lemme show you something."

He set his sangria aside and beckoned Caduceus to look at his screen, then walked his little green villager over to a building. "This is the airport," Fjord explained. "Tomorrow when you finish the tutorial, you'll get one on your island too, and then we can visit each other."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "In the game? Your person can come to my island?"

"Or yours can come to mine," Fjord replied with an amused smile.

"Well, that's just... this game is really cute. I can see why Jester likes it." But he'd meant to ask something about what Fjord had said... "Oh—tomorrow? I thought I was just trying it out."

Fjord shrugged, his eyes on his screen. "I've got this Switch now, so if you wanted to borrow that one for a while, y'know, we could... play together."

"Together," Cad repeated, his eyes wrinkling at the corners as he began to smile. "That sounds... nice."

"Yeah," Fjord agreed, glancing at Caduceus with a smile. "I thought so."

"You did?" Caduceus asked, not anticipating that response. He looked down at the portable console in his hands and considered it for a moment. "I guess you did."

Fjord laughed again and picked up his drink. "To spending time with friends and trying new things," he toasted.

Caduceus smiled as he raised his sang-tea-uh and tapped the cup against Fjord's sangria. "Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"The new things," he replied, indicating the tea with one hand and the switch with the other. He smiled a little, then added, "And the time."

Fjord smiled back. "You're welcome, Caduceus. It's my pleasure."

**Author's Note:**

> [Prompt a Three Things fic!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7S2MbkK0CxVHMG3kF8CD6fYqD0zwY-J6MqLb21nmFyRpE4w/viewform)


End file.
